shinyclassicIF-Dazzler

Like international television shows, Indian soaps are
also coming up with sequels. Srabanti Chakrabarti wonders if this trend is here to stay.

Indian
television shows seem to be inspired by their international
counterparts. We have seen Friends running for 10 seasons, Lost, Ugly
Betty, among other shows, coming up with successive new seasons and now,
the Indian television industry is following suit. Case in point are
sequels of serials like Miley Jab Hum Tum and Baa Bahoo Aur Baby.
Although they didn't do that well, there are more to come. If news
reports are to be believed, very soon we will see a sequel of the super
hit show Bidaai on television.

This, besides the other two
popular sequels ' Kitani Mohabbat Hai and Choti Bahu ' that are
currently on air. Ask Rajan Shahi, television producer and director, and
he will respond without being non-committal, "When Bidaai went off air,
we had discussions with the channel authorities on a possible sequel.
However, nothing has materialised yet. However, a number of actors have
been calling me up enquiring about the possibility of a sequel."

Angad
Hasija, an actor from Bidaai, says that he too has heard similar
rumours. "I would love to be a part of the second season, but I don't
think I would like to play an elderly character in the show!" he quips.
Considering the fanfare that the show had generated, a sequel may not be
a bad business proposition for Shahi.

There are also rumours
that Bairi Piya, a successful show on Colors, is also all set to launch a
sequel. Whether it will succeed or not is something only time can tell,
but there seems to be a renewed interest in sequels on Indian
television.

For instance, after the success of Mahi Way, the
makers plan to bring the show back on television with its second season.
This trend proves that Indian audiences are open to the idea of
watching more than a season of any daily soap. Especially when sequels
or rather new seasons of reality shows have borne positive reviews and
raked in money ' Sa Re Ga Ma, Emotional Atyachaar, Chak Dhoom Dhoom,
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, etc.

But then, what makes a sequel work for
one show, while for others, it doesn't? "Whether it is a sequel or not
is secondary. What is primary is the story and the way it is told. No
show, irrespective of how popular it was in the earlier avatar, can
create an effect if the storyline is weak," explains Deeya Singh from
the production house of DJ.

The production house had produced
Choti Bahu and has recently brought it back on television as a sequel.
Agreed. For example, Kutumb's (the show that brought Hiten and Gauri
Tejwani to limelight) sequel flopped, although the show's first avatar
was a hit amongst the audiences. This proves that a sequel cannot bask
in its prequel's glory. It needs to have a strong and convincing story.

Today,
if Choti Bahu's second season is successful, it will largely be
credited to the fact that the scriptwriters have been able to capitalise
on Avinash and Rubaina's popularity and have also dished out a new
storyline; something that other shows have not been able to.

In
the recent past, Miley Jab Hum Tum and Baa Bahoo Aur Baby sank for
similar reasons. While the former failed because it introduced too many
characters in the sequel, the latter flopped because it lacked
freshness. The story was similar to the original serial. Who would want
an old wine in a new bottle?

In the last decade, serials ran on
television for close to 10 years. But if you look at any soap today,
none of them last on air for more than two years. Does that mean they
are inferior to their predecessors? Perhaps not. Possibly, the answer
lies in the fact that audiences' tastes are changing. No one is ready to
invest their time and energy for stale entertainment. They want
something new.

The only reason consecutive seasons of reality
shows are doing well is because they bring to fore new talent, provide
drama with interesting twists and turns which, in the long run, is what
keeps viewers hooked. The same formula applies to daily soaps. Keeping
viewers entertained is the only mantra that works. Period.

Check these Celebrity also

Disclaimer: All Logos and Pictures of various Channels, Shows, Artistes, Media Houses, Companies, Brands etc. belong to their respective owners, and are used to merely visually identify the Channels, Shows, Companies, Brands, etc. to the viewer. Incase of any issue please contact the webmaster.